£250,000 fund to support service children in schools across Wales

Ahead of VJ day, the Education Minister, Kirsty Williams has today announced £250,000 to support service children in schools across Wales during 2020/21.

The funding helps schools provide additional support to children from families of Service personnel. The challenges can include the effects of moving from one school to another due to the location of the posting. It can also include the effects of parents or guardians in the Armed Forces being deployed away from home, either on operation or a long-term training exercise.

The funding will ensure the ongoing universal support from the Supporting Service Children in Education (SSCE) Cymru project, hosted by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), and provide more targeted support to schools. This year the process for distributing the funding is currently being developed by the WLGA for agreement by Welsh Government.

Kirsty Williams said:

“Ensuring equity of access to education for all children and young people is one of my top priorities and I recognise the particular challenges that Service children can face.

“The Supporting Service Children in Education Project and Fund have been extremely successful in previous years, so I’m pleased to be able to continue funding this area for another year.”

Ant Metcalfe, Area Manager for the Royal British Legion in Wales, said:

“The Royal British Legion is at the heart of a national network that supports our Armed Forces community, ensuring their unique contribution is never forgotten. It is right that on this weekend we are marking VJ Day 75 that we also consider the current service community and the sacrifices they make.

“We welcome the renewal of this fund for our current service children. Since its introduction we have seen this fund be put to good use to support these pupils and we look forward to seeing that continue into the future.”

Cllr Ian Roberts, WLGA Education Spokesperson said:

“Schools in Wales are doing a fantastic job of identifying the challenges service children face in education and working with SSCE Cymru to ensure they are not disadvantaged by their Armed Forces lifestyle.”

“Everyone involved with SSCE Cymru, hosted by WLGA, welcomes today’s announcement by the Education Minister that the funding for the project will continue for another year. It will go a long way in ensuring this work continues and good practice is shared.”